“No! Sis, what’s going to happen to me?!” were the exact words of little Sebastian when some man came into their home and took him away. Sebastian’s sister, Maria, did everything in her power to calm him down, but Sebastian didn’t listen to her. Maria turned her face to Bob and Jenny with tears in her eyes and asked for an explanation. Why did Bob and Jenny send little Sebastian back to Ecuador?!  It all started when Jenny received a shocking phone call… When they got to meet Maria and Sebastian at the adoption center, it clicked really well immediately. Maria and Sebastian, of course, were a bit scared at first but calmed down after Bob and Jenny introduced themself. At that time, they didn’t know they would be torn apart after three weeks.  The adoption center recommended getting a family photo taken by a photographer, so the children would understand they are a family now. And so they did make an appointment within the first week of their new family life to get their pictures taken. They seem to be a nice and happy family who will live happily for the rest of their lives. But nothing would be less true…  One day Jenny her phone rang. It was an unknown caller. Usually, Jenny doesn’t pick up these kinds of phone calls, but this day she did. And what the person told her on the other line would turn her new family upside down. She called Bob to explain, and Bob’s immediate reaction was, “We need to send him back!”.  Bob and Jenny decided to confront Maria and Sebastian with the news he had to leave them. Sebastian didn’t know what was happening, and he was really scared again. With tears in his eyes, he told Maria, “Goodbye, big sister, what is going to happen to me?” But what did the man tell Jenny on the phone, why did Sebastian need to return to Ecuador, and why did Jenny and Bob adopt two children in the first place?! Bob and Jenny were both in their early thirties, so they knew they couldn’t wait much longer if they wanted to try for a baby. At first, they were excited by the thought and couldn’t stop imagining what their lives would be like. But as time went on, things began to change. After a long period of testing, Jenny discovered that she wouldn’t be able to have biological children at all. She was so sad to hear that she didn’t have a chance. But Bob was determined to try another way and convinced Jenny to go and talk to the doctor about what else they could do. It couldn’t end like that, right? The doctor explained that they could try other options to start a family. They could use a surrogate to carry a child on their behalf or adopt a child through an agency. Jenny and Bob carefully thought about both options. They seemed so complicated. Finally, they made a decision to go for adoption. They started the process by talking with their local adoption and foster system to figure out everything they needed to do. It was so much work, but Jenny and Bob were determined to make it work. Everything for their children. One day, Jenny was at work when her phone rang with an unknown number. She was thrilled to hear that it was the adoption agency letting her know that they were considering her for a child. She called Bob right away to share the amazing news. They would be the new parents of Marian and Sebastian! Jenny and Bob were invited to meet Maria and Sebastian, two siblings from Ecuador who needed a new home. They instantly connected with each other as a group, and Jenny had never wanted anything more than to get approved to adopt Maria and Sebastian. They couldn’t have dreamed of a better fit. One thing about Jenny and Bob’s case made it simpler than others who were sometimes interested in adopting a sibling. Not everyone was willing to adopt multiple children together, so sometimes, siblings had to be separated in order to adopt them both into loving families. This tended to affect children from one group more than others. Children from poor countries were far more likely to get split up because the adoption agencies didn’t have enough resources to find them homes together. When a couple like Bob and Jenny were willing to take siblings, it was always a cause for celebration. But that didn’t mean they’d be automatically approved. Finally, the couple heard back that they were approved to adopt two children. The agency wanted to move quickly, so Jenny and Bob had to hurry and get everything ready for their new family. It seemed like there was so much to do. One thing worked in their favor more than anything else. They had been hoping for children for so long that Bob and Jenny had already gotten a lot ready in advance. They had a large house that would allow their children, Maria and Sebastian, to have their own separate rooms. It seemed like everything was going along perfectly, but that wouldn’t last for long. Jenny and Bob were so nervous to meet Maria and Sebastian for the first time. The kids were nervous too. They couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a whole new family. What if they didn’t get along with each other? What if it wasn’t a good match? After only spending a few minutes together, everyone started to relax. They got along right away, and they realized that this was going to be an amazing adventure for all of them. The children had been through so much already. None of them had any idea that their troubles were far from over. Bob and Jenny didn’t actually know the whole story about how Maria and Sebastian had lived before being adopted. The adoption agency had some information, but they hadn’t given them the whole story. But Bob and Jenny had plenty of time to get to know their children—or so they thought. At the moment, no one was thinking about how bad things had been for the children in the past. Instead, Bob and Jenny were just doing their best to make sure that the kids were happy. They wanted them to have an amazing life together, and the first big milestone was just around the corner. It was time to finalize all the adoption paperwork. The process had taken so long, but there were still a few remaining pieces of paper to clear up before the adoption was official. It was such a wonderful feeling. Jenny and Bob had no idea that their happiness wouldn’t last long. When Maria and Sebastian saw their home for the first time, they couldn’t believe it. It seemed so enormous compared to how they’d be living before. They were so excited to see the whole house and learn all about it. It looked so different from what they’d been hoping for. Everything was even better than Maria and Sebastian had hoped for. They’d never dreamed of having their own bedrooms and such wonderful parents. Loved ones, friends, and even the neighbors came by to meet the children. It was magical, but not all of their time together was fun and games. Jenny and Bob wanted the kids to have fun as they learned about the neighborhood and met the family, but they also had to be practical. Maria and Sebastian only spoke a tiny bit of English, so the family had to work hard on English lessons and sharing words in their languages. One day, the vibe in the family began to change. Jenny received a phone call about a week after they’d brought the children home. She didn’t recognize the number, but her gut instinct told her to answer anyway. She did, and the message from the person on the other end of the line stopped her in her tracks. It was unbelievable. The news wasn’t good. It had the potential to change everything about the family’s new life together. Jenny immediately told Bob what was going on, but neither of them had any experience about what to do. There was no one they could ask, and the caller didn’t seem to have any information that could help. Jenny started to feel hopeless. The change in Jenny and Bob’s attitude was obvious. They tried to pretend like nothing was wrong because they didn’t want to upset the children. They weren’t sure how to explain what was going on, so they just said nothing. But soon, others started to notice that things were different as well. Many of the neighbors had gotten to know Maria and Sebastian. They were excited to welcome the kids to the neighborhood, so they were confused when Jenny and Bob stopped bringing them around on walks. The new parents were so emotionally overwhelmed, and it was only going to get worse. After two weeks of dealing with their mysterious issue, Jenny and Bob were a mess. They weren’t taking care of the lawn or speaking with anyone. Friends and family were worried that something was seriously wrong, but Jenny and Bob wouldn’t return their calls. No one had any idea what was going on. Bob and Jenny were preparing to make a decision that would change everything. They’d tried to pursue other options, but nothing seemed to work out. At last, they had to make a horrible choice that broke their hearts. They sat Sebastian down one afternoon and prepared to tell him the news. Jenny and Bob explained to Sebastian that he was going to have to go back to Ecuador. They didn’t know exactly what was wrong with the adoption, so Jenny and Bob couldn’t even explain why. They’d fought against it, but no one would help them. Sebastian’s reaction was nothing short of shocking. Sebastian wasn’t too angry or upset. Adults had been moving him from place to place his whole life, and he didn’t blame Jenny or Bob. He said goodbye to Maria and didn’t even panic when it was time to get on the plane. Jenny and Bob weren’t ready for how everyone else would respond to their decision. It didn’t take long for people to find out that Sebastian was no longer living with Jenny and Bob. People were obviously curious, but they didn’t want to pry. Bob and Jenny tried to make things as normal as they could for Maria, but they could tell that nothing would ever be normal again. When the family went out in the neighborhood, everyone could tell that Maria was upset and confused about all that had happened. It was difficult for her to do the things they used to do together as a family with Sebastian. Slowly, people started to talk. Why had Jenny and Bob sent Sebastian back to Ecuador? One of the neighbors eventually decided to ask Jenny and Bob what was going on. They waited until Maria wasn’t around and then spoke with them, worried that something had happened to Sebastian. But the answer they got wasn’t exactly what they’d expected. In fact, it only made them even more worried. Bob and Jenny didn’t seem to want to answer. They only said that Sebastian wasn’t in their lives anymore, but they didn’t give their neighbor a reason or react much while they were giving the news. It seemed like a strange way to act when they’d been so in love with Sebastian from the first day. The neighbors could have decided to just move on with life and forget about Sebastian, but many of them had already bonded with the little boy. If there was something wrong, they wanted to be able to help in any way they could. They slowly started to look for answers in other places. They tried to contact the adoption agency, but the agency didn’t seem to know anything about it either. At first, they were positive that it was a case of one department not speaking to another. But it seemed like no one had any answers. How could an adoption agency just lose track of a child? Since the workers at the agency were just as confused as the neighbors, they knew that they needed to get in touch with Jenny and Bob as soon as possible. The agency was worried that maybe the parents weren’t trustworthy after all. They couldn’t just send a child back to Ecuador without involving the agency. When the agency reached out to Jenny and Bob, they couldn’t get the couple to return any of their calls or voicemails. They knew that Maria was still in their care, so they wanted to check that everything was okay and clear up any misunderstandings. Finally, it was time to just go see the family in person. When workers from the adoption agency arrived at the home, everyone was outside in the garden behind the house. Maria was upset about something, and Bob and Jenny were both doing everything they could to make her laugh. When they saw that someone official was there, Bob and Jenny suddenly stopped smiling. When Jenny and Bob realized that someone official had come to check on the children, they knew that there wasn’t nothing else they could do except tell the truth. They’d both been dreading that horrible moment, almost as much as they’d dreaded having to send Sebastian away in the first place. Jenny explained all about the mysterious phone call she’d received a few weeks before their visit. It had completely turned their lives upside down. No matter how much Jenny had looked for a different solution, it seemed more and more like Sebastian would have to go back to Ecuador. There was a simple explanation. Maria and Sebastian’s biological father had managed to track down Jenny after all that time. He’d never signed any paperwork or agreed to let anyone take custody of his children. He’d been fighting all that time to figure out where the children had gone. The children’s biological father had a shocking request. The man only wanted his son back. If they didn’t return Sebastian to Ecuador, he threatened to come take Maria as well. Jenny and Bob had no idea what to do, and they knew that they risked losing both children if they didn’t do as the man said. What other choice did they have? After discussing the situation, Jenny and Bob decided to do as the man wanted. It was clear that he wasn’t interested in Maria, and they hoped that Sebastian would forgive them for sending him back to Ecuador. The boy was obviously confused but willing to go. The people from the adoption agency were speechless.  The adoption agency immediately jumped into action and got in touch with the local police in Ecuador. It didn’t take long for them to find Sebastian and his biological father. The man protested having the government interfere with his family and who had custody of the children. But there was one thing he didn’t count on. Legally, the man didn’t have any custody of his children. He hadn’t been involved in their lives very much, and he didn’t have any parental rights to ask for his children to be returned to him. Plus, when asked, the man only seemed interested in Sebastian because he wanted to pass on his bloodline. Before long, a judge was involved. The police and the judge explained what was going on to Sebastian. They told him that he could try to stay in Ecuador or go back to live with Maria, Jenny, and Bob. It was a huge decision for a child to make, but the police and the judge wanted to hear whether he had an opinion. It was time to choose. Sebastian said that it didn’t honestly matter to him because he barely knew either his biological father or Bob and Jenny. However, he did want to be reunited with Maria no matter what. He chose Jenny and Bob because of that. But it was up to the adoption agency to decide if Bob and Maria were still trustworthy enough to keep the children. The agency ruled in favor of the family, and Sebastian was able to be reunited with Maria, Jenny, and Bob. The bond between them grew even stronger as time went on. Sebastian’s biological father eventually stood trial in Ecuador for trying to steal his son back by threatening Jenny and Bob.